Closing Care Gaps for LGBTQI+ Cancer Providers

• Educating the LGBTQI+ community about increased cancer risks and the importance of screening and early detection 

• Training healthcare providers to offer more culturally competent, safe, and welcoming care 

• Advocating for LGBTQI+ survivors in mainstream cancer organizations, the media, and research 

As outlined in Cancer and the LGBT Community: Unique Perspectives from Risk to Survivorship, LGBTQI+ communities have a history of experiencing barriers to healthcare, have increased risk factors for cancer, and are less satisfied with their cancer care.  

At each one of the provider trainings our organization holds, we recommend that cancer programs start by scanning their services. Look from the outside in. How and where could LGBTQI+ patients learn that your cancer program and providers would welcome them? It is evident in your social media? Is it on your website? On your forms? On your office walls? In your training of clinical and non-clinical staff, including front-desk personnel? The National LGBT Cancer Network has resources that can make many of these steps easier. Healthcare organizations can take advantage of free membership in our network and co-brand our resources with your facility’s logo. 

Organizations’ social media presence can also be a good jumping off point. For example, given that tobacco use in LGBTQI+ communities is 50 percent higher than in the general population, the LGBT Cancer Network offers shareable social media that can address this issue. For programs conducting quality or process improvement initiatives related to reducing cancer risk through tobacco cessation and screening programs, we offer two series of social media shareable ads (in English and Spanish) that can be customized and added to your own media feed as part of our Out, Proud & Free campaign. 

In addition to our cancer-related resources, we also have resources on the issues raised by COVID-19. Other free materials include: 

• The LGBT Cancer Network newsletter with shareable articles 

• Cancer information cards for the waiting room, which can be branded and printed for your organization 

• Welcoming wall signs for physician offices 

• Self-standing counter cards for use in cancer clinics 

• Webinar on how to collect LGBTQI+ data in your EHR  

These resources and more are available in our online resource library. In need of cultural competency training for your staff, customized technical assistance (TA), or even just a few small questions answered? Just email us.